Top 10 tips for studying Science

• Make sure that you have at least minimum background knowledge to cope -- upgrade prior to the course if necessary.
• Think about what kind of a course it is that you are taking and what you will need to do to do well -- time with class notes, problem sets, readings, lab assignments, etc.
• Attend all classes and try to get a good set of lecture notes.
• Spend time with your class notes soon after class; think about the concepts.
• Manage your time to stay on top of the work -- don't get behind.
• In "problem-based” courses, spend the bulk of time solving problems. Make sure to go beyond just following patterns of already solved problems -- you need to be working from your own learned knowledge base. Also limit the time you allow for an individual question.
• Use your calculator as a tool -- not as a substitute for your own logic; use it later rather than sooner when solving a problem.
• For "problem-based" courses read chapter 8 in the learning skills book, Learning for Success: Effective Strategies for Students (Fleet, Goodchild, & Zajchowski, 1999); try to apply the three specific strategies suggested: concept summary, decision steps, and difficult problems
• For "descriptive/application" courses do memory work week by week, and base it on understanding the concepts: try to get a sense of how the details fit into the "big picture." Don't memories anything you don't understand -- get help so that you do understand.
• Find out about the resources available and use them to solve any persistent problems that you have. These include professors (know their office hours), tutorial assistants (T.A.'s), departmental help centers, learning skills services, and other students.